Newport’s police union overwhelmingly expressed no confidence in Chief Seth DiSanto earlier this year, documents obtained by VTDigger show. The union told city officials that they questioned the chief’s integrity and ability to deal with dangerous situations.
Twelve of the union’s 15 members expressed their concerns about the chief in a March 10 letter to the city’s mayor and council members. They encouraged officials to consider their views before extending DiSanto’s contract — which has yet to be renewed.
The dozen wrote that they came to the “difficult decision” to express no confidence in the police chief based on concerns including:
“Trust in ability to exercise effective leadership; Clear judgement; Present ability to navigate dangerous situations; Treating Officers in a fair and impartial manner regardless of personal differences; Integrity; Bullying.”
“We feel the core values (CPR) are not presently being reflected in daily action,” wrote the police department staffers. Those values are courage, professionalism and respect — as DiSanto said in 2016 when naming an officer of the year.
The letter did not provide specific examples.
Officer Royce Lancaster, who represents the union, declined to comment or further explain employees’ concerns.
DiSanto expressed dismay about the union’s letter and said he has upheld the department’s core values.
“The vote of no confidence is really disappointing,” he said in an interview Friday. “I’ve done excellent work.”
He said he believes some of the union’s concerns were spurred by the high standards and demands he sets as chief.
“My approach wasn’t always well received by the union,” he said.
Asked about the union’s concern over his ability to handle dangerous situations, DiSanto said he has “no idea where that came from.”
DiSanto has been under scrutiny over the last year. He went on unexplained medical leave in July and was still out by late September, acting chief Lt. Travis Bingham said in an interview that month. DiSanto returned to duty in the fall.
When department reappointments came before city councilors March 16, they tabled their decision on DiSanto until April 6. He was the only major official who was not routinely reappointed. Four days later, City Manager Laura Dolgin announced without explanation that he had been placed on paid administrative leave, the Caledonian-Record reported.
During the council meeting Monday night, officials decided to postpone appointing a police chief indefinitely, according to the city clerk’s office. DiSanto on Friday had no comment about the decision.
Council members Melissa Pettersson, John Wilson and Kevin Charbonneau declined comment.
“Until we get all the facts, we on the council basically have no comment,” Wilson said.
Council president Dan Ross and Mayor Paul Monette did not immediately return voicemails left for comment.
The letter from the police union is one of several documents obtained by St. Johnsbury defense attorney David Sleigh, who filed a records request to obtain them.
“There were fairly persistent rumors in the community about Chief DiSanto’s situation, his capabilities and his veracity — all of that is of general interest to me in defending people who are accused of crimes,” Sleigh said. “I made a public record request about the most concrete thing that I heard.”
That was the union letter. At first, he said, he was told the letter didn’t exist. When he broadened his request, he received a redacted version of the letter, and when he appealed those redactions, he got the full version.
“We’ve seen, in Burlington, some misconduct by the chief there,” he said, referring to former chief Brandon del Pozo, who resigned in December 2019 after revelations that he used a fake social media account to belittle a critic.
Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger placed del Pozo on a six-week family and medical leave in July 2019 after the chief told Weinberger about the fake account. Del Pozo suffered a serious brain injury in June 2018 in a bike crash and attributed his behavior to the injuries he sustained then.
“I certainly wanted to see if there was something to what I was hearing about the chief’s conduct and whether there was a sort of similar situation here in Newport,” said Sleigh, adding that he frequently represents clients arrested by Newport police.
The cache of records includes a June 24, 2019, note from DiSanto’s doctor saying he should not work for 30 days. The records also include a heavily redacted document, reportedly written by a City Council member, that details “the understanding the overall community has” related to DiSanto’s medical leave.
Sleigh said the lack of reasoning for the medical leave in the note struck him.
DiSanto’s salary is just over $73,239. He has been chief since June 2012.
Bingham, the acting chief, has been with the police department since November 2004. He served as the department’s K-9 handler from 2006 to 2018. As a sergeant in 2017, he received the Henry “Hank” Haverkoch Memorial Award by the New England Narcotic Enforcement Officers Association, along with DiSanto and Orleans County State’s Attorney Jennifer Barrett. The award honors a late Bennington police officer known for keeping youth drug free.
